The present invention relates to a documentation
as an electronic typewriter and a word processor having a keyboard for inputting data, and more particularly to a documentation system having a multilingual function.
If multilingual characters such as English, German and French in addition to many kinds of symbols such as Greek letters and special scientific symbols were intended to be used in creating a document with a documentation system having no multilingual function, the number of keys of the keyboard would be so increased to reduce a practical usability. Accordingly, the above-mentioned documentation system having a multilingual function has been proposed.
Such a documentation system having a multilingual function is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,124,843, for example. In this prior art, a desired language mode can be arbitrarily selected by an operator from a plurality of predetermined language modes. The key arrangement of the keyboard includes a plurality of fixed key trains commonly employable for a plurality of languages and a single train of variable keys changeable among the plural languages. The variable keys permit the operator to input data in one selected from the plural language modes. When an operator intends to change a language (e.g., English) currently used into another language (e.g., German), a predetermined key for setting a language mode changeable condition is depressed, and then a specific key for inputting a code for specifying a language mode to be changed. Such operation must be repeated every time the language is intended to be changed. Accordingly, key operation of the keyboard is troublesome.
More specifically, as described in column 6 of this reference cited, if an English mode is changed into a French mode, for example, (1) "GO TO HEAD" key as best seen in FIG. 3 of this reference cited is first depressed; (2) the cursor on the display is moved to a "language selection" position; (3) the alphabetical character keys of the keyboard are depressed to input "FR" or "FRENCH"; and (4) "GO TO TEXT" key is depressed to enter information of this language. This information is stored as a language index in a memory table. In the keyboard having the French mode, when one of the variable keys is depressed, a display table in a memory corresponding to this variable key depressed is retrieved, while the language index is read, and a character pattern data corresponding to the language index is also read, thus displaying a desired French character on a display device. Thereafter, when the French mode is returned to the English mode, the above four-stage key operation is also required, provided that the third stage (3) is carried out such that "EN" or "ENGLISH" is input. Further, when the English mode is changed again into the French mode, the above four-stage key operation is required.
In this manner, this prior art requires the four-stage key operation every time a primary language mode (e.g., English mode) is changed into a secondary language mode (e.g., French mode) and vice versa. Accordingly, when the change or selection of the language mode is frequently conducted, much time and labor for effecting the key operation is required to cause troublesome data inputting.
Furthermore, in creating or editing a scientific report or the like, there occurs a necessity of inputting various special symbols in addition to normal characters. In the prior art, the inputting of some special symbols can be effected by utilizing a shift key in combination with numeral keys. However, the number of special symbols capable of being inputted is limited.